Synchrotron-radiation-induced, selective-area deposition of gold on polyimide from solution

Room-temperature photoinduced, selective-area deposition of gold films on polyimide from gold salt solution using synchrotron radiation x rays is described. A film growth rate as high as 40 nm/min is obtained. For thickness <50 nm, the films consist of nanograins with a grain size of about 200 nm. For thicker films, gold deposit forms a ramified morphology on top of the nanograin film. The change in morphology is discussed in terms of the change in the yield of the photoelectrons generated by x rays as a function of growth.